Dual Function Reagents

Organic synthesis is the engine that powers the advance of science and technology. Millions of scientists around the world rely on innovations in organic synthesis to tackle the challenges we face in the 21st century – from energy and the environment, to medicines and materials. This project will provide efficient and sustainable methods for the discovery and production of the molecules that society relies on, in particular medicines and agrochemicals. This will be achieved by delivering new reagents that will lower costs and minimize hazardous waste streams, whilst remaining practical and easy-to-apply in both an academic and industrial setting. This project revolves around the development of a new class of compound called Dual-Function Reagents (DFRs). These reagents are unique as they will perform multiple roles during a reaction. This will change current mindsets around reaction development within the field and lead to safer, practical and more efficient ways to make molecules. The project will initially focus on the development of DFRs for carboxylation. Advancing the state-of-the-art in carboxylation has been chosen as these reactions provide carboxylic acids which are versatile building blocks and important products in many sectors. Carboxylation is also a powerful method for adding isotope labels onto a molecule. Isotope labels are vital in scientific discovery and the development of drugs and agrochemicals as they allow scientists to follow the progress of a molecule, for example to check that it is reaching the correct location within a patient, or to check that it is not polluting the environment. Unfortunately, labelled compounds are difficult to produce as they are prohibitively expensive to make and often rely on the use of reagents that are radioactive and sourced from regions with political tensions with the UK. The DFRs developed through this project will significantly impact the field as they will greatly improve efficiency around the preparation of labelled compounds, thus minimizing costs, waste and reliance on unstable trade routes. DFRs will also provide practical and safety benefits by avoiding hazardous and difficult-to-handle chemicals, such as organometallics and gaseous reagents. DFRs will be applied in a range of transformations that are important to academia and industry, such as the incorporation of sulfur groups and amides. This will lead to DFRs showing a variety of applications within the pharma-/agrochemical industries and beyond. Overall, my DFR concept will provide safer, cleaner, and more sustainable ways to make a range of important molecules that society depends upon.